Issues and Insights
This page provides links to recent articles, reports and announcements relating to transportation policy, legislation and research. The entries are drawn from a wide range of sources, including national newspapers, magazines and websites. If you come across interesting transportation reading that might deserve posting here, let us know at [email protected]
UK connected vehicle project could end motorway ‘pile-ups
Traffic Technology Today, March 26, 2020 -
A pioneering UK project has developed technology that could radically reduce the number of multi-vehicle collisions on the country’s motorways and in situations where a crash cannot be avoided, the system will attempt to minimise its consequences.
Push to zero emissions might be opening a door for propane engines
FreightWaves, 3/31/2020 — Nearly 500,000 United States Postal Service (USPS) employees are entrusted with delivering mail to every residential and business address in the U.S. each day. Much of that mail, though, first moves on contractor vehicles that transport it from distribution center to distribution center, and then to local post offices.
COVID-19 shines a spotlight on flexible, digital freight
Transport Weekly, 3/24/2020 — The dramatic and rolling emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in countries across the globe is not just a health and financial crisis. It's a logistics stutter step of roaring surges and cratering drops in both the demand and supply of certain goods at certain times — affecting grocery stores, hospitals, restaurants, manufacturers, retailers and, ultimately, consumers.
New Jersey Remembers “The Seashore’s Finest Train”
Railway Age, 3/17/2020 — On Saturday, Feb. 22, history buffs and railfans from around New Jersey gathered in a repurposed and still-beautiful former railroad terminal to celebrate a train that, during its short life, was an iconic and luxurious one that the Garden State could call its own. That train was the Blue Comet on the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ). ...Few of the people who actually rode that train are alive today,
Amazon Nixed ‘Green’ Shipping Proposal to Avoid Alienating Shoppers
Bloomberg.com, 3/5/2020 — A few years ago, Amazon.com Inc.’s quick delivery team debated doing something radical for the e-commerce giant: asking shoppers to consider the environment. The team building Amazon’s Prime Now same-day delivery service knew that the quickest delivery options tended to be the worst for the planet. A guaranteed one-hour delivery window sometimes meant sending couriers in mostly empty vehicles darting to far-flung neighborhoods, all the while emitting roughly the same greenhouse gas emissions as a fully loaded truck or van.
Rutgers report finds Northeast needs immigrants to grow economy, prevent demographic stagnation
The Daily Targum, 2/18/20 - A new Rutgers report details how a slowdown in immigration, lower birthrates and a large amount of people moving from the Northeast to more affordable locations may threaten the economic future of the New York and New Jersey metropolitan region, according to an article on Rutgers Today. The report, Rutgers Regional Report, was compiled by the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation.
Uber and Lyft's Financials Reveal Two Ride-Hailing Strategies
Wired, 2/12/20 - Discussing Uber's 2019 financial results with analysts last week, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi used the word “focus” six times and the word “discipline” three times in his opening remarks alone. And he dropped “profitability” four times, most notably predicting that Uber would move into the black at the end of this year—at least when measured as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, what analysts call EBITDA. Out of the chaos of Uber’s international business, which ranges from shared to premium ride-hail trips, to e-bikes, to e-scooters, to buses, to on-demand staffing, to food delivery, Khosrowshahi promised some actual money.
Transportation Trends for 2020 (And What Cities Can Do About Them)
Planetizen.com, 2/10/20 - Over the past ten years, the world has experienced a revolution in transportation. 2012 saw the emergence of Uber, Lyft, and a number of other competitors who changed the way we purchased rides.I discussed these changes in 2015, when we were only beginning to understand the implications of these platforms. Amazon also changed the logistics industry, evolving from an online bookstore to a company that delivers electronics, household goods, and even groceries, something I talked about in a 2017 post.
How a Twin Cities Suburb Has Led The Way With Permeable Pavement
NextCity, 2/6/2020 — In 2007, water quality concerns in one lake among the (far) more than 10,000 that Minnesota is known for would become the spark that led to the largest stretch of permeable pavement in North America by 2009. Now, officials are hyping permeable pavement — a type of pavement that lets water flow through it rather than pooling on top of it — as a potential way to reduce ice without using road salt.